Indirect Questions with Question Words
Скажы, дзе ты жывеш. (Tell me where you live.) The question word opens the clause, just as in a direct question.
How It Works
Any question with a question word can become part of a bigger sentence: Дзе ты жывеш? becomes Скажы, дзе ты жывеш. (Tell me where you live.) Common main verbs are ведаць, спытаць, сказаць, памятаць, разумець, and the word цікава (I wonder).
Keep the question word. Every question word works this way: хто, што, дзе, куды, калі, як, чаму, колькі, які, чый. Use the word the direct question needs. A name is asked with як, so Як яго завуць? becomes Я не памятаю, як яго завуць. See asking someone's name.
Keep the tense. English shifts tenses in reported questions: He asked where I lived. Belarusian keeps the tense of the original question: Ён спытаў, дзе я жыву. The past жыў would mean where I used to live. See reported speech.
Punctuation. The indirect question is set off by a comma. The sentence ends with a full stop, not a question mark, unless the main clause itself asks something: Ты не ведаеш, дзе мой тэлефон? (Do you know where my phone is?)
Yes-no questions use ці instead: indirect yes-no questions. Do not confuse an indirect question with a relative clause: in горад, дзе я нарадзіўся, дзе describes a noun (relative дзе and куды).
Examples (6)
- Скажы, дзе ты жывеш.
Tell me where you live.
Word by Word: Tell, where you live.
- Я не памятаю, як яго завуць.
I don't remember what his name is.
Word by Word: I not remember, how him they-call.
- Ён спытаў, колькі каштуе білет.
He asked how much the ticket cost.
Word by Word: He asked, how-much costs ticket.
The present каштуе stays, though English shifts to cost.
- Я не разумею, чаму ты смяешся.
I don't understand why you are laughing.
Word by Word: I not understand, why you laugh.
- Цікава, хто напісаў гэтую песню.
I wonder who wrote this song.
Word by Word: Interesting, who wrote this song.
- Ты не ведаеш, дзе мой тэлефон?
Do you know where my phone is?
Word by Word: You not know, where my phone?
The main clause asks, so the sentence ends with a question mark.
Common Mistakes
Using што instead of як for a name.
Я не памятаю, што яго завуць.Я не памятаю, як яго завуць.Belarusian asks a name with як: Як яго завуць? The indirect question keeps the same word.
Shifting the tense back as in English.
Ён спытаў, дзе я жыў.Ён спытаў, дзе я жыву.To report the question Дзе ты жывеш?, keep the present. Жыў would mean he asked where I used to live.
Leaving out the comma.
Скажы дзе ты жывеш.Скажы, дзе ты жывеш.An indirect question is a separate clause, so a comma comes before the question word.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Indirect questions need content clauses and question words.
Related Patterns
- Indirect Questions with ціIndirect Yes-No Questions with Ці
Yes-no questions are embedded with ці instead of a question word.
Level 3 - Reported Speech
The wider rules for reporting speech, including tense.
Level 4 - Як цябе завуць?Asking Someone's Name
Names are asked with як, and indirect questions keep it.
Level 1 - дзе / куды in Relative ClausesRelative Дзе and Куды
The same words can start relative clauses that describe a noun.
Level 3
Practice Indirect Questions with Question Words in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Belarusian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
